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The Tragic Loss of Aylan Kurdi
By Billy Kung
The pictures I am writing about have already been seen countless of times, tweeted and retweeted, and have repeatedly appeared on other social media platforms. It’s my decision not to re-post the photograph for this edition of my blog not out of fear of causing upset; nor do I find the image gruesome or horrific, but simply heartbreaking. I hope that by examining the image’s meaning and its implications in the following, my words here will carry enough weight to remind ourselves never to forget.
On September 3, two gut-wrenching photos appeared in many front pages of newspapers in Turkey and across Europe and America. The first shows a boy wearing a red T-shirt and long shorts that stop below the knee. His midriff is exposed as he lies face down with his round cheek pressed to the sand as if he is sleeping, except for the waves lapping his face. He is dead. The second photo shows a policeman carrying the boy away. The officer is wearing latex gloves, and the boy’s face is hidden due to the angle of the shot taken. The toddler’s tiny feet dangle below the policeman’s waist with one of the velcro straps on his sneakers undone. It is hard to discern what the policeman is thinking as he carried this small, lifeless child in his arms. But one thing is certain, he is looking away.
